The present invention relates to a cutting device, having at least one part with an edge provided with a plurality of replaceable cutting tools, in particular a cutting device of the type having a plurality of spirally extending cutter blades which extend from a circular base towards a common front part with openings between the blades, said blades being provided at their leading edges with a plurality of cutting tools which each are individually mounted upon said edges by means of detachable connecting elements.
Cutting devices of this type are well known in the art of dredging.
Examples are to be found in published patent applications EP-A-0 025 421, EP-A-0 015 890, NL-A-7711824 and NL-A-7808655.
According to said prior art cutting devices the cutting tools are mounted upon the edge portion of a part or a cutter blade through the intermediance of an adaptor which itself can be removably secured to the said edge portion of the said part or of the cutter blade or as most common, by means of welding.
The cutting tools often have to be replaced. Accordingly it is necessary that they can be easily removed.
The material of the cutting tools has to be hard and usually does have a hardness which is greater than the hardness of the adaptor or holder which adaptor has to be from a material which allows welding upon the saidpart or cutter blade. Such a material does, however, have a wear resistance which is less than the wear resistance of the cutting tools. As a consequence it often becomes necessary to exchange the adaptors.
The tools must have a certain volume of material sufficient to avoid that, by being too small, exchange has to take place often. Large tools have a longer wearing time than small tools.
Tools mounted upon an adaptor require adaptors of sufficient strength and material volume to avoid that exchange has to take place too often.
Accordingly the adaptors partly block the openings between the cutting tools or between the blades and under certain dredging conditions the passage between the blades of e.g. a cutter head becomes too small and can become clogged with sticky materials, like clay and the like.
The prior art cutting devices which use adaptors or holders are expensive, difficult with respect to repair and maintenance.
Purpose of the invention is to provide a cutting device with cutting tools of sufficient volume and hardness, which cutting tools can be exchanged in a simple and fast way by using means which do not reduce the space between the cutting tools or blades respectively.